Presidio Knolls School

Alice Fong Yu Alternative School is the nation's first Chinese immersion public school, serving kindergarten through 8th grade in San Francisco's Inner Sunset. It opened in 1995 and is named for Alice Fong Yu, San Francisco's first Chinese American teacher. Students learn in a Chinese immersion program. The school has been named a California Distinguished School, a Gold Ribbon School, and a National Blue Ribbon School.

We teach through Mandarin and English at Chinese American International School in San Francisco. Our early childhood division runs from preschool, ages 2–5, through kindergarten. Preschool uses full Mandarin immersion, while kindergarten and lower-school grades 1–5 follow a 50/50 immersion model. In middle-school grades 6–8, students work through a hands-on, interdisciplinary curriculum and apply ideas to their community and their own lives. Our school also offers athletics, morning and afterschool care, and additional classes. All divisions share our 19th Avenue campus.

We offer full-day, year-round early childhood learning in San Francisco for children ages 18 months–5 years. Families can choose our Spanish immersion or English program. Both use playful, thematic STEAM activities covering science, technology, engineering, arts and math through exploration rather than formal academics. Our preschool includes outdoor garden beds where children plant and care for herbs, vegetables and flowers. We also have a transitional kindergarten/kindergarten class for children who need another year before moving on. Our preschool teacher-to-child ratio is 1:6–8; the TK ratio is 1:10.